The Bright Side
by eleventeenfifty
Summary: Highschool!AU Dean had taken over Bradbury Highschool when he was just a freshman, and never did being friends with either of the Winchesters go out of style. Two lucky new students might even get to be more. Castiel and Gabriel are new to the school, but maybe they can find their way through. With a little help. T for swearing. Eventual Destiel/Sabriel, probably just fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_There were a lot of things that would never be perfect for the young Winchester. And he was old enough to know that wishes don't come true, no matter how many times you make the same one. He could wish a million and one times for his mom back, but that didn't mean he would get it. That didn't mean he would stop trying._

_He would never stop telling his little brother that things would get better, would never stop dreaming the same thing. Things weren't all bad, anyways. They weren't easy, but they weren't horrible. All he could do was keep looking at the bright side of things, keep _**_making_**_ a bright side to things._

* * *

His thoughts ran in their usual circles as he got dressed, pulling his Led Zeppelin tee over his head and his pants above his hips. It was the easiest thing. He could put on pants, and put on a belt. Every kid he knew could. But they didn't! Teenaged boys always kept their pants at an aggravatingly low level. He didn't understand it. It wasn't cute. It was lazy.

"Sammy," he knocked, then left down the hall for a cup of coffee.

A tall, and still growing, Sam came hurriedly down the hallway after him. Sam, his entire family, really, was his main priority. The number one on his list of things that he couldn't live without. His floppy haired little brother was one of the many people he would put his life on the line for.

Sam, of course, felt the same about his elder brother. No matter how many times or how hard he wanted to punch his freckle spattered face, or how many times he actually did, he didn't know what he'd do without him. For one thing, he wouldn't have a ride to school, which he really should get going on before they were late.

Dean grinned at his precious baby as he walked out into the driveway. He let the keys dangle around his finger before smoothly sliding into the driver's seat. Tapping on the wheel, he hummed Metallica while waiting for his genius of a little brother. The kid was supposed to be in eighth grade, but was instead a freshman at Bradbury Highschool where he ate lunch with his brother and his friends every day.

Speaking of _friends_, the little nerd had gotten himself a girlfriend. She was in eighth grade, but came up to the highschool for a few classes. _Smart kids man. Smart kids. _Her name was Jess and boy was Dean happy for his little brother. Sam never really had a lot of luck making friends, let alone with girls. Now that he was a freshie though, he wasn't doing as badly as he'd anticipated. He was a movie when he was in seventh grade about a bunch of seniors who went around hitting freshman with paddles! They called it the freshman hunt, and he was pretty sure that it was illegal now.

As soon as the moose-like boy had gotten in the passenger seat, the pair were squealing out of the driveway. They didn't live far away from the school. When they were in elementary school, the building was right next to their house. That school had since been turned into a post office, but it just goes to show how easy living in a small town makes getting an education.

They came to a quick halt in the parking lot and said goodbye briefly, though they walked mostly in the same direction. They bid each other a good day again as they parted ways, Dean going to stand outside the school where his best friends were. The few of them met up here every day before homeroom to talk and sometimes make plans.

"So," Jo began. "I was thinking we could all hang out at my place tonight. Mom's got a thing at the Roadhouse, so she won't be home tonight. You in?"

"Of course. Sam'll probably want to know if he can come too, so what do you have planned?" he checked.

The entire group, though mostly a sophomore named Pamela, smiled at the mention of their favorite little dweeb.

"Probably just video games and a few beers," she reassured him.

He nodded as the bell rang and they all headed to their separate homerooms. The only one of his friends that he had homeroom with was a kid named Garth, who he was sure was dropped on his head as an infant. Repeatedly.

* * *

Fuck. What time was it? Too late for him to shower, but he could at least get dressed without missing the bell. He pulled his jeans, yes, the skinny kind, over his sharp hips and donned a dark blue tee-shirt before applying deodorant and running out the door, barely grabbing his backpack and coat and knocking on his brother's doors in a mad dash to his dad's car. He didn't even think to brush his hair, which seriously looked like he'd been engaging in some age inappropriate activities. They came out within minutes, all somehow looking more put together than he did.

His eldest brother, Lucifer, got in the driver's seat and checked his hair before actually pulling out of their driveway. He wasn't worried about them being late, Gabriel being a senior. Even if it was their first day.

"I can't believe you didn't wake me up," Castiel mumbled.

"You didn't tell me I needed to," he countered.

Then followed an argument of 'yes I did's and 'no you didn't's, which was only ended by Gabe throwing a penny at each of them. They weren't happy about that, either, but they were kind of okay with it since it got them to stop fighting. There had been a lot of tension about recently, it mainly being the whole 'we know you're gay, but you probably don't' thing. Everybody thought they knew Castiel better than he knew himself, and maybe they were right, but he wasn't going to tell them anything about it.

When they finally got there, the two students climbed out of the car and headed through the doors, passing by a wad of students waiting for the bell they were lucky they didn't miss. Castiel hurried himself into the office, asking apologetically for a new schedule. The secretary, wearing a name tag labeled Anna Milton, smiled at him warmly and asked for his name.

"Castiel Novak, I'm a sophomore," he offered.

"Here you are," she smiled and gave his the paper he needed.

He thanked her and headed towards Ms. Tapping's homeroom. The hallways were packed with lockers and students who refused to go to class. He didn't feel up to searching for his locker, so he went straight to homeroom.

"Hi," he asked at the door, "Is this Ms. Tapping's room?"

"You can call most of the teachers by their first names. I'm Naomi, but if you like Ms. Tapping better, then you can call me that too. You must be Castiel." She waited for him to nod, then continued. "I've made arrangements for the school's favorite _nuisance _to show you around today."

He nodded and headed to the only seat left, next to a blondish boy with freckles and the greenest of green eyes he'd ever seen. This was purely observational though, of course. He would never be checking out the guy he sat next to in homeroom. Totally not.

"My name's Dean," the kid leaned over.

Castiel looked at the boy, not even realizing he was staring, or that he wasn't saying anything. He blushed and looked down at his desk before regaining his composure.

"I'm Castiel," he nodded.

"What's your first class?" Dean asked.

"I have English first with Ms. Talbot."

"Oh me too," Dean smiled.

_Oh dear god._ He would have to spend another hour being completely straight with this gorgeous freaking-

No. He would spend another class period making friends with the completely heterosexual guy that he sat next to in homeroom.

* * *

"My name's Dean," he offered, wanting another excuse to look at the kid's eyes. They were the brightest blue he'd ever seen, and he didn't want to stop looking at them, or anything else about this guy.

He was that he was blushing, and grinned. Usually only girls would blush like that after him only even introducing himself. Probably, though, the kid was just nervous about his first day. Dean was sure the kid was straight, he wouldn't even try.

"I'm Castiel," he sputtered.

"What's your first class?" the blonde asked, still looking all around Castiel's face.

"I have English first with Ms. Talbot." Dean's heart must have skipped a beat because _dear god, so did he._

"Oh me too," he smiled, trying to keep his cool.

Seriously, what the actual fuck? Dean had had crushes on guys before, hell he'd even dated a few, but he didn't usually get this warm and fuzzy feeling that he had right now. To be honest, it scared him. He didn't even know why.


	2. Chapter 2

By now it was lunch, and Dean took his spot next to his little brother who seemed to have befriended an older, yet shorter boy. He had blondish brownish hair, slicked back in a way that would usually look stupid, but on him it was almost endearing. Beside said blondish boy there sat another familiar face, this time more feminine. He said hello to the three of them, including Meg. It wasn't before long Jo, Ash and Pamela got there, and their table was complete. There was always a spot missing, right between Meg and Ash.

Dean noticed his new friend-thing looking around the cafeteria, probably for someone in particular. When he saw their table, he brightened up a bit and headed toward them. He sat between Ash and Meg, making sure of course that it was okay first.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Gabriel introduced, "I present to you, my totally lame little brother!"

There was a round of laughs as Castiel threw a carrot at his brother, and another when he tried to throw one back and missed. The misfire did hit Sam though, who threw one at his own brother. This led to an all out food fight between the eight of them, leaving only the mashed potatoes not thrown.

After it had calmed down a bit, Jo decided to try to assimilate them as quickly as possible. "So, we're all gonna be hanging out at my place tonight, Sam too, and just chilling. You guys wanna come?"

Castiel started to protest, but Dean cut him off. "Come _on_. It's gonna be great."

He nodded and Gabe had long since accepted. It was hard to tell that they were brothers, just looking at them. Castiel had dark, messy hair that looked all manners of hot, and Gabe had normal, blonde, almost 1950's greaser style hair. Plus their eyes. Their _eyes. _Cas had the bluest blue eyes _ever, _and Gabe had greenish hazel ones that couldn't possibly be from the same bloodline.

And wait a second, did he just call him _Cas_? 'Well,' he justified, 'His name is kinda long.'

Before lunch they had gone their separate ways to go to their lockers. After lunch though, Dean would resume his job as the school's favorite nuisance and continue showing his new friend-thing around.

* * *

Castiel stood at his locker, fiddling with the dial for almost ten minutes. He probably wouldn't even have time to get his lunch, let alone find somebody to sit with. He contemplated just sitting next to his locker for the entirety of the period, but decided that his makeshift tour guide who notice something was up. Leaving his backpack and coat on a bench near his locker, he headed into the lunch room.

He was dreading having to choose between sitting with his brother and sitting with the boy he'd like to call his new friend. That was, until he saw them sitting at the same table. There were five or six other people there, too, so he was almost nervous to sit down. After asking politely, he sat between a girl with bleached blonde hair and a boy with a ridiculous amount of hair. He smiled at Dean before letting his brother introduce him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," came his brother's most royal tone, "I present to you, my totally lame little brother!"

Castiel gasped dramatically and threw a carrot at the blonde as a 'how dare you?' gesture. Gabriel tried to make it look like he missed when he threw one back, but let it hit a younger boy who was all to eager to hit Dean with a piece of food as well. Castiel and Dean traded vegetables most often, as well as Sam and Gabe and Jo and Ash, while Pamela and Meg cheered the pairs on.

"So," Jo interjected as things calmed down. "We're all gonna be hanging out at my place tonight, Sam too, and just chilling. You guys wanna come?"

"Well, I have homework and-" he began.

"Come _on_. It's gonna be great," Dean interrupted.

He nodded and smiled at him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. They would probably just play video games or watch movies, which is what he'd be doing if he stayed home. They didn't talk much more throughout lunch since people were busy eating, but Dean did initiate a few more conversations, even with his mouth full.

"You ready?" Dean asked as the bell rang.

Castiel nodded and grinned, excited that his next class was with his new friend as well. Next was science with Ms. Havelock, who liked to be called Nora. She taught life science, which is the one where you dissect squid. Luckily, she was against that and they wouldn't be doing it today.

Since they got there almost first, they were allowed to choose their partners and of course chose each other. There was only a worksheet today, much to their delight because when they finished they were allowed to talk. Dean smiled at his lab partner as the gabbed about everything under the sun, including the obvious looks their brothers were giving each other.

"I swear, the kid would rather live in the library than our house," Dean laughed.

"Gabe hates books. And reading. And writing. He's mildly dyslexic, so he stays away from stuff like that," Cas mentioned.

"Well, I'm sure he can find some other way to woo my dear brother," he smirked.

Their conversations ranged from plans after tomorrow to plans after highschool and friends they secretly hoped would get together and friends you'd never guess had slept together.

"So, you probably have a girlfriend back in your old school, huh?" Dean hinted.

Cas fumbled with his words for a moment, blushing. "Girls aren't really my specialty, and no one's really into me."

"You're kidding, right? There are at least three girls staring at you right now!" he motioned.

When he looked around, a few girls waved at him, making his blush deepened into an impossible shade of red. "Well, I, uh," he tried, but it didn't work out.

"Dude, if chicks aren't your thing, that's okay too," Dean clarified. "People are pretty cool about stuff like that here."

The bell rang and saved him before he could say anything, so he changed the subject quickly.

* * *

Dean dropped him off at his exploratory and head to philosophy, wondering how someone so, well, attractive, could be so shy. Surely he'd had girls hit on him before. Maybe people even asked him out. They had to have. Why wouldn't they? I mean, who could not notice those eyes, his freaking voice, his hair. He had sex hair! He was all manners of hot, and somehow 'girls weren't his specialty.'

Since he chose not to pay attention, the period went by rather quickly. Sooner than he'd expected, he was on his way to find his friend-thing. He was contemplating asking his out, maybe just to go to a movie or something when he, quite literally, bumped into the very guy he was thinking about. Cas dropped a few books and Dean helped him pick them up and then they were on their way out to the gym to wait for the bell to ring. They met up with their 'crew' and joined easily in their conversation.

"Help me out here Cas," Dean pleaded, "They're saying we should do every man for himself Borderlands, which is nice but why not do co-ops in Black-Ops. We could kick so much butt together!"

Castiel nodded, "I have to agree with Dean on this one."

"Of course you agree with the hot one," Gabe interjected.

"Hey!" Ash feigned offense. "That hurts bro."

They laughed for a few more minutes until the bell rang and they all headed to the parking lot. The group dispersed all except the group of brothers, with Gabe and Cas looking for their ride.

"I think Lucy forgot," Gabriel sighed.

"We can give you guys a ride!" Sam piped.

Dean and Cas exchanged a look and everyone agreed. They were doing some serious shipping, and it was going wonderfully.

"We can pick you guys up later if you want," Sam offered again.

"Yeah, okay," Gabe smiled.

The two of them were forced to sit in the back while Dean educated Cas on rock music up front. He also taught him the basics of loving a car like a person and why putting your feet on the dash was a horrible, horrible idea.

When they got to the Novak house, a car was just getting ready to pull out. Dean assumed this was 'Lucy,' until he saw a man in the front seat.

"This is the place," Cas motioned.

A man with hair like Gabriel's and eyes dimmer than Castiel's came and talked to them through the window. "So Cassie, is this your new boyfriend?"

"I swear I will hit you with the door of this car," Cas threatened, then sighed. "This is Dean, and that's Gabe's new boyfriend Sam."

"Hey wait you weren't really gonna hit him with the door of my car, right? That might hurt her," Dean checked

"No," he reassured him. "Anyways, a bunch of us are hanging out at a freind's house tonight, okay?"

Lucifer nodded and let his brother open the door, walking towards the house. When Castiel got out of the car, he turned around for a surprise attack and tackled him to the ground.

"See you later, Dean!" he yelled to dismiss his friend as he struggled against the large man that was starting to tickle him.

Dean drove off with a smile on his face and knew that he wouldn't be able to focus on anything until he go to Jo's.

* * *

**This is the fastest I've ever gotten followers on a story, so I really appreciate you guys and I hope you like this chapter. I thought I would try to develope Cas' friendship with everyone else too, so that Dean isn't the only thing in his life because that's kind of creepy. Anyways, enjoy and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys I'm super sorry, my internet got shut off for a couple days and my mom said I needed to focus on writing for my teachers instead of a bunch of random strangers.**

* * *

"Gabriel, could you please stop fixing your hair for your boyfriend so I can use the bathroom?" Lucifer asked as he pounded on the door.

"Gabe, they're here!" Cas yelled from the door.

Gabriel emerged, not looking any different than before, in seconds. He pulled his jacket on hastily and all but run to the door. Castiel followed, waving to his eldest brother on the way out. The two walked out cooly as Sam was making room for Cas by getting in the back seat.

Dean smiled at the two boys, complimenting Gabe's hair because dear lord was it obvious. Sam made a point to mess it up, mussing it with his hands. The boys up front laughed and said something the pair couldn't hear, but it was cute anyways.

"So Lucy is your sister, right?" Dean asked confusedly.

"Lucy is short for Lucifer, the guy who tackled me earlier," Castiel informed him.

He nodded and smiled, turning the music up a little bit as they neared Jo's and his favorite song came on. Humming along, we pulled into the driveway and parked next to everyone else's cars. They were late, because of both having to wait for Sam to finish fixing his hair and picking up the Novak boys.

"The party," Gabe announced as he walked in, "Is here."

The group laughed and they handed him a beer, inviting them to join in a game of Borderlands. Meg came and in one full swoop, literally carried the darkest haired boy away. Cas flailed and wondered how she could even pick him up. She brought him to her seat and gave him a controller.

"Make the newcomers conspire," she suggested, and Dean sat down and grabbed a controller.

"We'll have a tournament, Dean vs. Cas, Gabe vs. Sam, and winners play each other.

"I call Axton," Cas piped, which was followed by Dean claiming Krieg.

The two battled fiercely with their thumbs and their voices, each gloating every time they made a kill because whoever made the most would win. They fought bullymongs and high-fived often, but they were still in competition. Cheering came when Castiel won and the two handed the controllers to their respective brothers. Dean congratulated him whilst calling him a loser as they sat down on the couch together.

The two cheered on each other's brothers, Cas routing for Sam and Dean for Gabe. Every once in a while they would accidentally touch, innocently of course, but Castiel still seemed to get mildly flustered any time their physical contact was any more that just a high-five. Gabe and Sam shared the same weird cooperation in their game as the previous players, though they did seem to get more into it.

* * *

It was ten by the time they got around watching any movies and after denying Dean's half-suggestion of Casa Erotica, they decided on Star Wars. Everyone squeezed together on one couch so that they could all see, leaving people cuddling, arguing and getting distracted. Cas and Dean sat close together and whispered throughout the entire movie. Eventually, the two fell asleep, legs intertwined and Castiel's head on Dean's shoulder.

Sam, Gabe and Jo smiled at the people they were glad to call family and returned to their movie, occasionally bringing up something adorable about the pair.

* * *

**Really short chapter, sorry. My keyboard hates me and is messing up on the O L and . keys for some reason.**


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